1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe structure for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pipe structure for an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, which is capable of further decreasing concentration of vibrations generated in the entire structure of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner by restraining the phenomenon that vibrations are concentrated due to resonance in a pipe to which the vibrations generated in a compressor are transferred.
2. Description of the Related Art
An air conditioner is a machine for controlling temperature and/or humidity in a system desired by a user, with circulating cool air, generated through compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation of coolant, inside the system.
This air conditioner includes an indoor unit positioned indoors, and an outdoor unit positioned outdoors to emit undesired hot or cool air. Meanwhile, the outdoor unit generally includes an outdoor heat exchanger for heat exchange, an outdoor fan for compulsively making an air channel, and a compressor for making coolant be forcibly flowed in a refrigeration cycle. In particular, the compressor is generally installed in the outdoor unit in order to improve indoor noise environments since the compressor itself generates noise in operation.
However, the outdoor unit is recently positioned nearer to the indoor space, as the indoor environment is smaller, so the noise of the outdoor unit is apt to be propagated to the indoor space. Thus, more efforts are made to decrease noise generated while the outdoor unit is operated. In particular, in case the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are positioned in the same equipment like a window-type air conditioner, such problems related to noise become more significant.
Meanwhile, the noise of the outdoor unit is classified into a noise generated while the outdoor fan is operated and a noise generated while the compressor is operated. The present invention is mainly directed to decrease the noise generated while the compressor is operated. The noise generated by the compressor is generally propagated through a pipe. Particularly, the noise is more greatly and abundantly propagated through an induction pipe, which is connected to an induction portion of the compressor and has high rigidity and great eccentricity. Furthermore, the induction pipe is relatively longer than other pipes in order to reduce a vibration transferring ability of the pipe, which however induces concentration of vibrations more seriously in the induction pipe. In particular, the vibration is far greater approximately at the center of the induction pipe due to the influence of resonance or the like. In addition, due to the concentration of vibrations in the induction pipe, fatigue of the pipe is generally accumulated, so the pipe is frequently broken down.
In addition, if a compressor which generates vibrations of various frequencies like a variable speed compressor is installed in the outdoor unit, the resonance phenomenon is further amplified by the various frequencies, thereby making the vibration problem of the induction pipe more serious. In addition, the variable speed compressor is a compressor whose revolution number is varied according to an amount of compressed coolant by the control of an inverter, and it is more and more used in these days.